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Articles, UC QuakeStudies

A PDF copy of a billboard design from the All Right? 'Compliments' campaign. The billboard reads, "People love the little things you do. Let's remember it's often the simple things that bring the most joy." The design also includes the web address of the All Right? Facebook page.

Research Papers, Lincoln University

The urban environment influences the way people live and shape their everyday lives, and microclimate sensitive design can enhance the use of urban streets and public spaces. Innovative approaches to urban microclimate design will become more important as the world’s population becomes ever more urban, and climate change generates more variability and extremes in urban microclimatic conditions. However, established methods of investigation based upon conventions drawn from building services research and framed by physiological concepts of thermal comfort may fail to capture the social dynamics of urban activity and their interrelationship with microclimate. This research investigates the relationship between microclimate and urban culture in Christchurch, New Zealand, based upon the concept of urban comfort. Urban comfort is defined as the socio-cultural (therefore collective) adaptation to microclimate due to satisfaction with the urban environment. It involves consideration of a combination of human thermal comfort requirements and adaptive comfort circumstances, preferences and strategies. A main methodological challenge was to investigate urban comfort in a city undergoing rapid physical change following a series of major earthquakes (2010-2011), and that also has a strongly seasonal climate which accentuates microclimatic variability. The field investigation had to be suitable for rapidly changing settings as buildings were demolished and rebuilt, and be able to capture data relevant to a cycle of seasons. These local circumstances meant that Christchurch was valuable as an example of a city facing rapid and unpredictable change. An interpretive, integrative, and adaptive research strategy that combined qualitative social science methods with biophysical measures was adopted. The results are based upon participant observation, 86 in-depth interviews with Christchurch residents, and microclimate data measurements. The interviews were carried out in a variety of urban settings including established urban settings (places sustaining relatively little damage) and emerging urban settings (those requiring rebuilding) during 2011-2013. Results of this research show that urban comfort depends on adaptive strategies which in turn depend on culture. Adaptive strategies identified through the data analysis show a strong connection between natural and built landscapes, combined with the regional outdoor culture, the Garden City identity and the connections between rural and urban landscapes. The results also highlight that thermal comfort is an important but insufficient indicator of good microclimate design, as social and cultural values are important influences on climate experience and adaptation. Interpretive research is needed to fully understand urban comfort and to provide urban microclimate design solutions to enhance the use of public open spaces in cities undergoing change.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Cars crushed between the collapsed levels of the Smiths City car park. The photographer comments, "Just after the aftershock settled on Tuesday afternoon, myself and colleagues fled our Tuam Street office to absolute devastation outside. We couldn't see more than a block in either direction due to the clouds of dust that had arisen from buildings that had just collapsed ... From here, we picked up our vehicles from the CCC car park and headed out to get out of the chaos to a position where we could check on loved ones ... eventually made it to Colombo Street where we slowly crawled past the horrific sight of the Colombo Street Smiths City over-bridge car park. Layers had collapsed onto each other and cars were sticking out of the gaps. Hopefully if anyone was inside they would have hit the ground and would be safe under the support of the cars either side of them".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Cars crushed between the collapsed levels of the Smiths City car park. The photographer comments, "Just after the aftershock settled on Tuesday afternoon, myself and colleagues fled our Tuam Street office to absolute devastation outside. We couldn't see more than a block in either direction due to the clouds of dust that had arisen from buildings that had just collapsed ... From here, we picked up our vehicles from the CCC car park and headed out to get out of the chaos to a position where we could check on loved ones ... eventually made it to Colombo Street where we slowly crawled past the horrific sight of the Colombo Street Smiths City over-bridge car park. Layers had collapsed onto each other and cars were sticking out of the gaps. Hopefully if anyone was inside they would have hit the ground and would be safe under the support of the cars either side of them".

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

A large number of businesses that used to be in the centre of Christchurch relocated after the earthquakes. Are they satisfied with their new locations and do they intend to return to the central city? We questioned 209 relocated businesses about their relocation history, present circumstances and future intentions. Many businesses were content with their new premises, despite having encountered a range of problems; those businesses that were questioned later in our survey period were more content. The average business in our sample rated the chances of moving back to the central city as around 50 %, but this varies with the type of business. Building height did not emerge as a major issue, but rents may be. The mix of types of business is likely to be different in the new city centre.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

We measure the longer-term effect of a major earthquake on the local economy, using night-time light intensity measured from space, and investigate whether insurance claim payments for damaged residential property affected the local recovery process. We focus on the destructive Canterbury Earthquake Sequence (CES) 2010 -2011 as our case study. Uniquely for this event, more than 95% of residential housing units were covered by insurance, but insurance payments were staggered over 5 years, enabling us to identify their local impact. We find that night-time luminosity can capture the process of recovery and describe the recovery’s determinants. We also find that insurance payments contributed significantly to the process of economic recovery after the earthquake, but delayed payments were less affective and cash settlement of claims were more effective than insurance-managed repairs in contributing to local recovery.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the badly-damaged John Bull Cycles building on the corner of Colombo Street and Tuam Street. Most of the building's facade has fallen away and it has been cordoned off with wire fencing. Signs indicating that the business has relocated can be seen in the window.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Moira Fraser stands on a mound of liquefaction. The liquefaction is high enough that she is able to hold onto to the spouting of the house next to the mound. A broken fence can be seen protruding through the liquefaction. The property is on Waireka Lane in Bexley.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A powhiri performed by Ngai Tahu elders to welcome workers of the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT). Phil Goff is standing in the centre of the group that is being welcomed. The ceremony was held in Burwood Park.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Civil Defence staff walking down Durham Street, a fire engine behind them. Beside them, the damaged Provincial Council Legislative Chamber can be seen. The building's roof and walls have collapsed, as has the scaffolding that had been erected to repair it after the 4 September 2010 earthquake.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph submitted by Philip Broderick Willis to the QuakeStories website. The description reads, "Timaru Welfare Centre – Set up for EQ evacuees. Thought it was a little unfortunate that the only suitable venue there had a spring-loaded floor! Still, they were so welcoming and wonderful. It was such a relief to be there.".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A close-up photograph of plastic bottles that were part of a temporary installation titled ING. ING was created by students from Unitec for CityUps - a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of Speakers' Corner, an event that gathered citizens, architects, urbanists, developers and government officials to The Commons to speak about the importance of flexible and temporary spaces in the creation of cities. Speakers' Corner was part of FESTA 2014 and supported by Athfield Architects.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A house in Christchurch with a red sticker on the window indicating that it is unsafe to enter. "No entry" and a large cross have also been spray painted on the front fence to warn people off. On the right side of the house, a tarpaulin can be seen covering a collapsed brick wall.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of Mike Hewson's artwork, 'Government Life Suspension', on the side of the former Chancery Arcade. The photograph is taken from an angle such that the artwork appears to be a reflection of the Government Life building behind it.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of Mike Hewson's artwork, 'Government Life Suspension', on the side of the former Chancery Arcade. The photograph is taken from an angle such that the artwork appears to be a reflection of the Government Life building behind it.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of Mike Hewson's artwork, 'Deconstruction', on the walkway between Ballantyne's and the former bus exchange building. The photograph is taken from beneath the walkway, so that the distorted perspective which enables the illusion can be seen.